1. Technical Field
The present application relates to a method of cleaning returned beverage bottles in a bottle filling plant, a method of introducing treatment fluid into containers to remove contaminants therefrom in a container filling plant, and an arrangement therefor.
2. Background Information
Background information is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily admit that subsequently mentioned information and publications are prior art.
The present application relates to a sprayer station of a cleaning machine for the cleaning of bottles or similar containers with at least one spray nozzle for the introduction of at least one spray jet of a spray or treatment fluid into the containers with a container mouth that are being moved past the spray nozzle by means of a transport system during a spraying phase, in which the individual containers are located in the area of coverage of the at least one spray nozzle, and with means to vary the at least one spray jet. The present application also relates to a container cleaning machine for the cleaning of bottles or similar containers, with at least one sprayer station past which the containers are moved in container receptacles, as well as to a method for the operation of a container cleaning machine for the cleaning of bottles or similar containers with at least one sprayer station past which the containers are moved in container receptacles.
In some container cleaning machines, for example including bottle cleaning machines, for the cleaning process, the containers are moved in container receptacles or cells which are formed on container carriers or container baskets of a transport system by means of this transport system through treatment zones, and for example, among other things, through treatment zones which are formed by at least one sprayer station and in which an interior spraying of the containers takes place. In this case, some container cleaning machines disclose for example that the spray nozzles or nozzle openings of such a sprayer station are provided on nozzle shafts which are rotated in synchronization with the transport movement of the transport system, and for example to pivot the spray jets that exit the nozzle openings and to completely interrupt the spray jets when no containers are in the area of coverage of the spray nozzles.
Some container cleaning machines also describe the realization of pulsed spray jets, and for example first so that the influx of the spray medium to the spray nozzles of a sprayer station is completely interrupted when there is no container or container carrier in the area of coverage of the nozzles of this sprayer station.
In an additional form of the present application the spray jet is interrupted multiple times when there are containers in the area of coverage of the nozzles.
One disadvantage of these known methods is that a high frequency of the complete interruption of the spray leads to undesirable pressure pulses.
Some cleaning machines describe an apparatus in which the spray jets that get into the bottle are varied by varying their orientation or direction during the spraying process. For this purpose, this publication teaches a spray carriage that moves along with the bottles which can be pivoted around its longitudinal and transverse axis. The actual pivoting movement is produced because of undulations in the guide track of the spray carriage, or because the wheels of the spray carriage are oval. The direction of the spray jet is varied by these pivoting movements. There is no variation in the volume of the spray jet.